The Dynamics of Poverty and Crime - Research Paper Example

The research was conducted by Haiyun Zhao of Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ; Zhilan Feng of Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; and Carlos Castillo Chavez of Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ to determine whether there is a relationship between poverty and crime. What are the research questions? Does poverty lead to crime? Does unemployment leads to property crime? Do those who live in poverty have a much greater chance of committing property crime? Independent Variable: poverty Dependent variable: crime Poverty and crime are the major problems that affect cities around the world. According to Beccker (1968) in his theory called “economic theory of crime”, there is a direct relationship between poverty and crime. The economic theory of crime asserts that human beings engage in criminal activities due to their poverty situation. According to Zhao, Feng and Chavez (2008) Poor people therefore have a greater chance of committing property crime more than rich people. Operational Definitions Property crime: According to the researchers, property crime refers to the situation whereby human beings resort to burglary, larceny or theft. Property crime is a major problem in most cities around the world (Taylor, 1995). Poverty: Lack of economic opportunity necessary in the provision of basic needs (Ehrlich, 1981). In the United States, the only organization that can set poverty threshold is the census bureau. Families and individuals below the threshold are considered to be poor. The threshold contains estimates on the amount of money families and individuals required to purchase goods and services deemed minimally adequate. The threshold is normally adjusted accosting to the consumer price index of each year (Kelly, 2000). How the Variables were Measured Poverty is measured in terms of consumer price index. The rate of poverty is the percentage of citizens in total or as parts of various subgroups who cannot afford basic human beings and are living below the threshold amounts. Over the years, experts have debated on the best way to calculate the poverty threshold and have suggested that it be changed. The calculation of poverty threshold currently depends on pretax income and does not cover the non cash benefits and tax transfers. Non cash benefits and tax transfers have contributed to larger portions of the assistance package to the poor citizens. The research found out that individuals living in poverty faced an increased risk of certain factors such as poor health and criminal activity. These factors led to reduced participation in the labor market. Further, the research suggests that availability of health care insurance such as Medicaid and Medicare reduced the rates of infant mortality in United States. Further, exposure to high levels of pollution when poor people live close to highways can lead to serious health complications. The research data also suggests that engaging in tobacco and alcohol abuse leads to health disparities between lower and upper income groups. Consequently, the study found out those higher levels of unemployment were linked to high levels of crime. The link between poverty and crime is not clear since factors such as health can be both a cause and a result of poverty. Without looking at poverty as a cause or an effect, it is important to note that poverty conditions limit the ability of human beings to develop their skills, abilities, knowledge and habits that are important for them to take active participation in labor force. The study was quasi experimental because it was not possible to randomly assign participants to groups. Behavior and attitude studies take the form of quasi experimental because it is never easy to measure behavior and attitude of human beings. There are cases whereby rich people engage in crime, it will therefore provide complications in the causes of crime. Reliability of the Study The data on the number of people below poverty threshold were obtained from census bureau. The study is reliable because census bureau is able to determine which segments of population are below poverty threshold. Collecting information from such groups would therefore be easy in cases whereby the researcher might have difficulty in determining groups of people who are poor. Observation, as an instrument of data collection, is reliable in behavior studies. Other instruments of data collection such as questionnaires and interview are capable of producing biased data. Individuals may decide no change their views when they realize that their poverty situation is being examined. Validity Observation on the level of crime and the groups of people who committed crimes was used to measure the variables. The research found out that there is a link between poverty and crime. Individuals who had low wages were found to be engaging in theft and burglary to supplement the income. The researchers were able to observe that in societies where there were no poor people, levels of crime were low than in societies where there were both the rich and the poor. However, it was observed that in poor communities, where there were no rich people, crime was still reported. It is possible to conclude that crime is as a result of crime when there are no criminal activities among the rich. Limitations Property crime is not only limited to the people below poverty threshold. Even those above the poverty threshold are capable of engaging in property crime. The study is limited to people below poverty line without recognizing the fact that even the rich can engage in property crime. Individuals above poverty threshold should not be seen satisfied citizens who cannot engage in crime. Among the citizens who are above the poverty threshold, their income and need to fulfill their daily needs varies (Anderson, 1999). The research design can be improved by looking at the reasons why there is increasing level of crime in the society; crime should not only be linked to the poor people. There are cases whereby crime is not as a result of poverty. Further, poverty factors such as poor health may lead to poverty. In addition, crime can also lead to poverty. A study should be done to find out whether all employed individuals engage in crime. It is only through such studies that a conclusion can be made as to whether poverty leads to property crime. References Anderson, D.A (1999), The Aggregate Burden Of Crime, Journal Of Law And Economics, 611-642. Becker, G.S. (1968), Crime and Punishment; an Economic Approach, Journal of Political Economy, 169-217. Ehrlich (1981), Participation in Illegitimate Activities; A Theoretical And Empirical Investigation, Journal Of Political Economy, 521-565. Kelly, M (2000), Inequality and Crime, the Review of Economics and Statistics, Pp. 530-539. Taylor, R (1995), The Impact Of Crime On Communities, 539 Annals Of The American Academy Of Politics And Social Sciences 28. Zhao, H, Feng, Z and Chavez, C (2008), The Dynamics Of Poverty And Crime, Tempe; Arizona State University. Read More